HCT launches effort to save 49 acres

Thursday

Jun 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 27, 2013 at 6:30 AM

It took 10 years of discussion, but the Harwich Conservation Trust announced last week it has reached a purchase agreement with the owners of 49 acres of mostly wooded land between Kendrick and Bay Roads. The non-profit group, which has protected some 448 acres in town, plans to restore the site and install trails to allow public hiking access.

Jamie Balliett

It took 10 years of discussion, but the Harwich Conservation Trust announced last week it has reached a purchase agreement with the owners of 49 acres of mostly wooded land between Kendrick and Bay Roads. The non-profit group, which has protected some 448 acres in town, plans to restore the site and install trails to allow public hiking access.

The news is important because this is the largest undeveloped tract of land in the area and a section is within a thousand feet of Round Cove and Pleasant Bay. Three nearby wells supply water to about 30 percent of the town, according to the Harwich Water Department.

The purchase price of $3.5 million, roughly $71,428 an acre, will have to be paid by the HCT by August 2014 in order to complete the sale.

HCT is about to commence its private fund-raising efforts and plans to seek multiple grants from the state and other sources. HCT executive director Michael Lach said that the first application, a State Land Conservation Partnership Grant, is already being sought but the maximum amount that can be awarded is $85,000.

“We’ll have to work very hard to secure this parcel but I am confident that we’ll get there in the time allowed. Harwich residents have shown to be extremely supportive of acquisitions like this in the past. This is such a wonderful opportunity,” he said.

The current owners of the property are from the same address in Sudbury and include Harwich One, LLC, owners of a 39.5-acre parcel at 75 Kendrick Road and Gear Realty Trust, owners of a 9.68-acre parcel at 0 Bay Road.

Lach said that the land was deemed to be the highest priority parcel for the organization to acquire, based on a town-wide list of more than 200 open space properties.

“In terms of its location in the Pleasant Bay watershed, its drinking water supply role, and diverse wildlife habitat, this is an incredible and very rare opportunity. We’ve been looking at this land for years,” he said.

The owners had sought a 32-lot subdivision on the parcel in 2005 but the proposal did not advance. The Trust has estimated that some 40 homes could be built on the land if fully developed using town and Cape Cod Commission regulations.

A five-bedroom home is located at 75 Kendrick Road set about a quarter mile off the road. Built in 1900, it is uninhabitable, boarded up, and will be demolished if the purchase goes through. A look in the window revealed holes in the roof, collapsing floors, and debris.

The northern parcel, consisting of 39.5-acres, was once owned by Solomon Kendrick, the father of sea captain John Kendrick.

“We are planning to set aside enough funds, or approximately $100,000, to pay for our legal costs, land survey, trail creation, and removal of the home,” explained Lach, who said the effort was being titled the Pleasant Bay Woodlands Project.

“There is a lot of work to be done, from removing invasive plants to looking into certifying vernal pools to developing a plan for access and